Stephen albro



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN ALBRO, OFv BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

LIFE-PRESERVER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 8,767, dated March 2, 1852.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN ALRo, of the city of Buffalo, county of Erie, and State of New York, have invented a Life-Preserving Ship-Bed; and I hereby declare that the followingis a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters by which the several parts are designated.

My invention consists of berth-bottoms, made in sections, as represented by Figures 2, and 3.

Fig. l, represents a frame, or standee with two berths, each containing a full bed. Fig. 3, represents a perspective view of one section of a berth-bottom, which is of the form and material preferred' by the inventor. It consists of a board one foot wide, the length being governed by the width of the berth or bed. On the ends of this board are risers, made of cork, or of tin, or of wood, in form of the two five sided sections of a rectangular parallelepiped, with their acute angles, or edges, meeting, or nearly approaching each other, in the center. Over these risers is drawn a canvas bearer, the ends of which pass under the ends of the board, where they are drawn tight with cords; or the bearer may be fastened permanently at one end, and drawn tight with cords, or buckles and straps, at the other end. Six of these sections are calculated to ll the berth or bedstead. They are required to lie loosely in the berth, that they may be seized at any moment, in case of emergency, and thrown, or carried, overboard. Each of these sections, of the dimensions represented, will displace 369,L lbs. of water, and will buoy up about 30lbs. more than its own weight, which is more than suHi'cient to prevent any single thrown from them by any action of the waves; and, by properly adjusting himself, he may lie at ease, and even sleep in safety. These sectional berth bottoms operate like cots, furnishing a tolerably comfortable bed of themselves, and requiring but a slight mattress to make the bed perfectly easy. It is the design of the inventor, that lthe bed shall be completed by laying on these berth bottoms a common hair mattress, to occupy two thirds of the space in the berth, and a pair of small ones, each one foot wide, .and as long as the width of the berth which will be incased in waterproof covers, which covers will have .mouths made watertight by clasps, that the mattresses may be taken out and renovated. They will also be provided with each a strap at one end and a buckle at the other, thereby fitting them to be used as personal appendages in the water. A man with a pair of these mattresses-buckled around his body, under his arms, can stand erect in the water, and ride safely over t-he roughest sea. For a representation of these life-preserving mattresses, see Fig. l, letters A. A. A. A.

I claim, as my own invention- The sectional berth-bottoms, as represented by Figs. 2, and 3, and as minutely described a ove.

STEPHEN ALlBRO.

lVitnesses:

R. LIDDLE, THOMAS P. How. 

